Gravity Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway

Gravity (The Taking #1)
Author: Melissa West
Genre: YA Science Fiction/Dystopian
Expected Release Date: October 30, 2012
Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Purchase Link: Amazon 

Description:

In the future, only one rule will matter:

Don’t. Ever. Peek.

Seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander just broke that rule and saw the last person she expected hovering above her bed — arrogant Jackson Locke, the most popular boy in her school. She expects instant execution or some kind of freak alien punishment, but instead, Jackson issues a challenge: help him, or everyone on Earth will die.

Ari knows she should report him, but everything about Jackson makes her question what she’s been taught about his kind. And against her instincts, she’s falling for him. But Ari isn’t just any girl, and Jackson wants more than her attention. She’s a military legacy who’s been trained by her father and exposed to war strategies and societal information no one can know — especially an alien spy, like Jackson. Giving Jackson the information he needs will betray her father and her country, but keeping silent will start a war.  

 

Everything about Ari's life has been determined for her without her consent or opinion, including what job she'll have and who she'll marry. The only problem is that Ari doesn't want that life. On top of that situation, for years Ari has been visited nightly by an Ancient - an alien being - who takes vital nutrients from her so he can survive. One night, Ari breaks all the rules and looks up at her Ancient, only to discover the most popular boy from her school - Jackson Locke - hovering above her. Everything Ari thought she knew - about her life, her history, her entire world - will be changed forever. She learns that there is about to be a war between the Ancients and the people of Earth, and only she has the power to stop it.

Gravity is a fresh, original voice in the young adult dystopian genre. It is entirely captivating with a unique concept and lots of twists. The novel is fast-paced and packed full of everything from action and adventure to romance and mystery. There never seems to be a dull moment during the story, which made it hard for me to put down. The characters are realistic and likable. I easily felt like I knew Ari and her friends and empathized with their mission and obstacles. The romance between Ari and Jackson was sweet and utterly swoon-worthy, without being super mushy or corny (which is always a plus for me). The setting of the post-apocalyptic world as well as the story of what happened was really detailed and interesting. I liked how the Ancients and the people of Earth were both shown throughout the book, so it wasn't a completely one-sided narrative. The events that happen in the story are thrilling and intriguing, and I'm definitely looking forward to the next book to come out so I can see what will happen next! 

 

 

Melissa lives in a tiny suburb of Atlanta, GA with her husband and daughter. She pretends to like yoga, actually likes shoes, and could not live without coffee. Her writing heroes include greats like Jane Austen and Madeleine L'Engle. 

She holds a B.A. in Communication Studies and an M.S. in Graphic Communication, both from Clemson University. Yeah, her blood runs orange. 

Official links:

  http://www.melissawestauthor.com/

http://twitter.com/MB_West

http://www.facebook.com/MelissaWestAuthor

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5287439.Melissa_West

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